Panthers Moments No. 9: Thomas Davis Returns

Revealing the Greatest Comeback Story in Team History

Welcome back to our Top-25 Panthers’ Moments countdown, where we are naming the Panthers’ top-25 moments to celebrate the team’s 25th season as a member of the National Football League.

If you missed our post from earlier today, where we chronicled the greatest kick in team history, you can check it out at this link here.

Let’s get right down to it with the first appearance by a Panthers’ legend on the countdown: Thomas Davis.

Davis Started As an Integral Piece

Davis was initially drafted as a safety out of the University of Georgia during the 2005 NFL Draft and played well for the Panthers during the team’s NFC Championship run. Following that season, Davis was repositioned to play linebacker with Dan Morgan and eventually Jon Beason.

Davis eventually became a fan favorite and registered more than 80 tackles in the following three seasons, including over 100 tackles during the 2008 season.

Despite the solid play, he never reached the next level, as he was never elected to a Pro Bowl or voted All-Pro during his first four seasons.

Just when things looked like they were going to turn the corner for Davis, disaster befell him.

Struggling to Remain on the Field

In week nine of the 2009 season against the New Orleans Saints, Davis was rolling back into coverage when his knee buckled and forced him to leave the game. The injury was later revealed to be an ACL tear in his right knee and the former Bulldog was placed on IR for the remainder of the year. The road was difficult, but Davis returned in time for OTAs in 2010.

During OTAs, he suffered another injury to his right knee: his second ACL tear in his right knee. Because the injury occurred within seven months of his first ACL tear, he was immediately placed on IR and missed the entire 2010 season, during which the Panthers finished 2-14.

In 2011, Davis was finally healthy and started the 2011 season on the road against the Arizona Cardinals. The relief was short-lived, however, as during a 30-23 loss to the Green Bay Packers in Week 2 he tore his ACL in his right knee for the third time and was placed on IR.

No player had ever come back from three ACL surgeries in the same knee, but Davis made it his mission to become the first.

Davis Returned and Became a Team Legend

In 2012, Davis returned to the Panthers lineup to pair with Luke Kuechly to become one fo the best linebacker tandems in the NFL and recorded his first season with more than 100 tackles since 2008.

2013 was the season he found his grove, as the linebacker had a career-high in tackles with 123 for the season and a career-high in tackles for loss with 13 and helped the Panthers reach the playoffs for the first time since 2008.

Davis was a star in 2015 as he recorded a fourth straight season with more than 100 tackles, and reached his first Pro-Bowl and was named to his first All-Pro team, cementing his legacy as a Panthers legend.

Davis’ Story Is Special and One of the Greatest Injury Comebacks in History

Many thought Davis was done after his third ACL injury, as did I, but I’m so glad I was wrong about it. The linebacker went on to play seven more seasons for the Panthers before leaving in free agency to the Los Angeles Chargers.

Davis not only came back from three devastating injuries in the same knee but came back arguably better than he was before the first injury, and that’s why he was going to be a top-10 pick for our Panthers’ Moments List.

That’s it for this post, keep it tuned for our next post where we talk about the drafting of a legend.